I might get an electric bike when I'm a bit older and my knees are knackered and I'm living in a lovely little cottage on a hill. It's a nice idea, to go for post-retirement rides without dreading the final ascent; to press a button and suddenly accelerate like Marco Pantani gobbling up Alpe d'Huez in the 1997 Tour de France, powered not by drugs (RIP Marco) but a great big battery on the back rack.

But for now, I live in Manchester, 15 miles from the proper hills of the Peak District. It's a bit of an issue when testing a bike with a battery that lasts for a maximum of 25 miles – a distance achievable only if you are disciplined and choose the lowest of the three speed settings, which kick in once you start pedalling. Sure, I could have turned off the somewhat weedy motor and used my legs and the six gears (all rather too low for me), but this is not a bike designed to be ridden naturally. It's the weight of a teenage hippo, for one thing, and drags like a child being made to go on a walk against their will.

Luckily, the Hopper is foldable, so I thought I'd pop it in the back of my car. The folding process was not complicated. The quick-release saddle slides down easily (rather too easily: it often slipped down during a ride), the pedals fold in and there's a hinge on the handlebar stem and another on the frame – the latter closed with a flimsy plastic catch. It's not a surprise they've scrimped on components when you consider the bargain price. A To B, a magazine specialising in electric bikes, says you should expect to spend £1,200-plus. The Hopper, made in China and sold at Tesco, is £500.

Other folders have a magnet or clip to clamp the wheels together. This has a velcro strap. It was too cumbersome to fit in the boot of my Toyota Yaris, so I had to put the back seats down and use all my strength to lift it into position. Given that e-bikes often appeal to frailer riders, the sheer heft of the Hopper is potentially a problem.

I decided to take it for a spin around Alderley Edge, Cheshire's answer to Chipping Norton. I headed out of town and up Swiss Hill, a residential cobbled road with an average gradient of 9% but sections nearer 15%. I opted for the highest speed, which on the flat is supposed to be 15mph, but going up was more like 3mph. I got only as far as the first mansion before sliding on a cobble and losing my momentum. It's always difficult to get going again on a steep hill, but it felt like I was dragging a Winnebago up behind me. With no "full power" option, which works even without pedalling, I had to get off and push. Less Pantani, and more panting and wheezing.